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A huge swath of Hertz (HTZ-0.38%) rental car operations on the West Coast could come to a screeching halt if the company can’t come to an agreement with the union representing its workers soon.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters says 3,000 workers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington will go on strike if they can’t get a deal done by Monday.
“When we began negotiations with Hertz more than a month ago, we made it abundantly clear that Teamsters would not be working beyond the expiration date of this agreement,” said Rocco Calo, director of the Teamsters Industrial Trades Division. “Teamsters at Hertz are instrumental to operations of several major airports and deserve to be treated as such. Striking is always a last resort, but Hertz Teamsters are ready to fight for what they are owed.”
In a comment provided to Quartz, Hertz said that it “is committed to negotiating in good faith and reaching fair agreements.”
The company noted in its most recent annual report that “we have had no material work stoppage as a result of labor problems during the last ten years, and we believe our labor relations to be good.” But the company also acknowledged that past performance is not an indicator of future results.
“It is possible that we could become subject to additional work rules imposed by agreements with labor unions,” it said, “or that contract extensions, work stoppages or other labor disturbances could occur in the future.”